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Art has over 30 years of operating experience as a pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry executive and venture capital investor in life sciences companies. He works with a team of investment, biotechnology and medical experts who manage over $350 million and have guided the launch and development of over 55 life sciences companies, including Lumena Pharmaceuticals, which was founded by Pappas Ventures, and was recently acquired by Shire plc. In addition, Pappas manages the Chiesi Venture Fund, which invests in companies developing medicines for rare and orphan diseases.

Art currently serves as a director of CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, for which he is chairman and also served as the founding CEO, Afferent Pharmaceuticals and Aura Biosciences. Prior to founding Pappas Ventures in 1994, Art held senior level leadership positions at several multinational pharmaceutical companies for which he was responsible for the development, licensing and launch of a number of global products. He was an executive member of the board of directors of Glaxo Holdings plc (NYSE: GLX, now GSK), and he served as Glaxo’s chief executive responsible for international operations including research, development and manufacturing. Art previously was Vice President of Commercial Operations for Abbott International Ltd., and he held various executive and general management positions with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals and the Dow Chemical Company, in the United States and internationally. He previously served on the boards of Chimerix, Inc. (Nasdaq: CMRX), Quintiles Transnational Corp. (Nasdaq: QTRN now NYSE: Q), TYRX (acquired by Medtronic in 2014), Syntonix Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Biogen IDEC in 2007), LEAD Therapeutics (acquired by BioMarin in 2010), CardioDx, Embrex (Nasdaq: EMBX), which was acquired by Pfizer. He also served as a board observer at Plexxikon, which was sold to Daiichi Sankyo in 2011.

Art is also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Venture Capital Association, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, where he was the past chair, the Wistar Institute for Cancer Research, the Duke Cancer Institute, and the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation for Research Development. Art is a decorated Vietnam veteran, having served as an officer in the US Army 101st Airborne Division.

Art has a clear passion for developing and mentoring entrepreneurs and helping them build great companies. His relationships are broad and deep and he nurtures them as he does his family and friends.